Agate Bay Light

Even with record high temps this week in our area, I must have cooler weather on the brain. We can't compete with folks who live in Arizona, but this past weekend the temperatures here reached about 100 degrees. Coupled with high humidity, the result was several torrential rainstorms and devastating flooding on many of the northern rivers.

This week’s painting is one of our favorite places on the North Shore – the lighthouse overlooking Agate Bay in Two Harbors. Now a fully operational bed and breakfast, the lighthouse still serves as a working beacon and stands as a sentinel on one of the most dangerous sections of the Lake Superior shoreline. In the foreground of the painting is the remnant of the track that served to transport iron ore from the train cars to the large cargo ships docked in the harbor. Agate Bay Light is a 7” x 10” painting on 300 lb. watercolor paper and features the iconic lighthouse in winter.

Balsam Arts exhibit - July 2018

I've been accepted as one of the guest artists at the Balsam Arts Gallery: Family, Friends & Neighbors exhibit, running July 1-31, 2018. Two of my paintings will be on display: "Secluded Bay" and "Gunflint." Both feature favorite scenes of northern landscapes. Balsam Arts is a fabulous new gallery on Main Street in Balsam Lake, WI. Plan to attend the Opening Reception and visit with the artists on Saturday, July 7, from 6-9 p.m.

Summer vacation and llamas!

Today marked the last day of school for two of our grandsons. Each year, their school celebrates the end of the year with a Shakespeare Festival, and it is quite the event. At 3^rd and 1^st grade, the boys continually astound us with their ability to memorize and deliver complicated stories and sonnets with confidence and the appropriate inflexion! The performances are followed by a medieval fair in the “meadow” across the street. Even though it’s a piece of city-owned land adjacent to a freeway wall, for this fair, it is transformed into a magical place of music, face painting, juggling, maypole dancing, archery contests, dunking tanks and food trucks. And so begins . . . summer vacation! Yay!

And once again, I’m captured by llamas – this time it’s a special herd belonging to friends in the area. The painting, Reflecting on Llamas, 8”x10” on 300 lb. watercolor paper, features a wonderful group (including a new baby cria) enjoying the warmth of spring sunshine.

Rest Stop

For as long as I can remember, being by water has been good for my soul. And one of my favorite places is to be near Lake Superior. There is something magical about it – Paul says I breathe better the minute I catch sight of the lake. It is an inspiring sight, but perhaps it is more.  In our efforts to control everything about our daily world, Lake Superior totally defies the rules. The sheer magnitude and statistics of the lake effectively take it outside of the realm of human control. With 2, 980 miles of shoreline, a maximum depth of 1,333 feet and an average water temperature of 40° F, the lake commands respect from even the most experienced navigators. The wind and waves can vary dramatically from one bay to another, making it nearly impossible to accurately predict weather patterns.

In our journeys along the beautiful North Shore, we are amazed at this continually changing seascape. On our recent trip to Port Wing, we bore witness to the power and destruction of the wind and waves. During a fierce three-day storm earlier this spring, the lake literally pushed hundreds of mature trees – roots and branches – into the Port Wing harbor, completely destroying docks and capsizing several large boats. Easily dismantling a recently community-built boardwalk, the force of the waves also obliterated a two-block section of paved road and carved a steep cliff from what had been a fairly protected beach area. The strength of water is astonishing.

This week’s painting, Rest Stop, 8”x10” on 300 lb. watercolor paper, calls the viewer to pause and take in the view. Whether relaxing from a long hike in the surrounding forests with a faithful friend or a leisurely stroll along the rocky shore, Lake Superior is an incredible place to be.